The Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce held its annual Cover All Your Bases Business Expo at the US Steel Yard, home to the Gary SouthShore RailCats baseball team. President and CEO of the Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce Deann Patena explained how the location for the expo came to be.
“We have an annual business expo every year and last year we decided to have it outside at the RailCats Stadium, so we thought it would be a good opportunity to bring it back again this year,” Patena said. “We had such a good time last year, so we had the vision to have lunch out on the field. Luckily, we have this beautiful day for our Cover All Your Bases Annual Business Expo.”
The weather could not have been any more perfect for this event. The sun was shining, and the temperature provided a comfortable atmosphere for the attendees to not have to worry about being too hot or cold while eating lunch.
Business owners and representatives came together to eat lunch, network, and listen to the speaker. The speaker for the event was former White Sox player, Ron Kittle.
“Ron Kittle is a former White Sox player. He lived a few blocks from the stadium and grew up in Gary. We're really fortunate that we can have a local speaker today and somebody that people can come out and meet,” Patena said.
Kittle now lives in Illinois but was able to travel back to Gary in order to speak at the Cover All Your Bases Business Expo. He was extremely proud to share where he grew up and emphasized the value the city of Gary has in his life.
“I'm from Gary, Indiana. I've never left Gary in my heart. I'm probably one of the few people who have ever said that. I have a lot of friends here. I grew up here. I have business partners here,” Kittle said. “It's really a great community to live out here, and getting a chance to come back and see some old friends and speak at a ballpark where I feel right at home is all good.”
While speaking at the luncheon, he was able to share countless stories of experiences he has had throughout his life. He shared stories of his time growing up in Gary, stories from when he played with the Chicago White Sox, as well as stories from his current walk of life. Through these stories, he emphasized the importance of making good connections, paying attention to detail, and remaining positive.
Kittle was recently inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame but was not able to attend the ceremony due to prior obligations, including speaking at the Cover All Your Bases Business Expo.
“I sent a video down there and acknowledged I was humbled and very honored to have something like that,” Kittle said.
Kittle explained that he makes custom art using baseball equipment for baseball players as they retire, or get inducted into the hall of fame. The profits he makes from some of this art make their way back into the community through charities.
“I make furniture out of baseball bats and baseball bases. I make steel sculptures, and wood things, and I make American flags out of baseballs of a different color. I just do it for fun,” Kittle said. “My wife and I gave away 42 baskets last year to different charities, probably averaged $300 a basket, so that's where I take all the funds and do that. You have to give back to the community.”
During his time speaking, Kittle spent a significant amount of time speaking about his charity, Ron Kittle Charities. He has his own charity that has raised over $3 million, and many local community members across Northwest Indiana have gotten involved.
“The charity foundation I run has helped out in Munster Community, and St. Anthony's Medical Hospital. We have raised over $3 million. That's probably a lot more than a lot of people have done,” Kittle said. “I have people from all different communities through Northwest Indiana get involved in my charity over the years, so you're getting every city every town to come to participate and do some good stuff.”
Attendees were able to listen to Kittell speak while eating lunch on the baseball field. After lunch, business representatives were able to make connections by speaking to one another at each business’s booth.
Owner of Wish Photography and Video, Wendy Heist, is a member of the Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce and is on the ambassador committee. She was in attendance at the Cover All Your Bases Business Expo to help out fellow chamber members, and support local entrepreneurs.
“This is a business expo to promote all of the local businesses,” Heist said. “There are a lot of people here who are entrepreneurs, and it's a great way to network and get the word out about what you're doing, any specials you have going, and network with other businesses that you may be able to partner with and grow the entrepreneurs and grow our community.”